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IMPROVEMENT IN SHAFT COUPLINGS FOR OARRIAGES.

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TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, Asa R. REYNOLDS, of Auburn, in the county of Cayuga,and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Shaft Couplings for Carriages and other purposes and I do herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of thesame, reference being had to tho accompanying drawings, making a part ofthis specification, in which Figure 1 represents one of the couplings inquestion; and

Figures 2 and 3 represent modifications of the same, though embracingthe same general characteristics.

Similar letters of reference, where they occur in the separate figures,denote like parts in all the drawings.

My invention relates to a shaft coupling of simple construction,'easilyadjusted to take up the wear, and prevent rattling or noise, andprotected in a great degree from dirt or grit, which wears away themetal.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and rise my invention, Iwill proceed to describe the same with reference to the drawings. v I

A may represent the axle of a carriage or other piece to which theshaft'B is attached. The bow or clip C on the axle is secured by a plateor washer, a, and nuts 6 b. On the forward part of the clip or bandO'there is wrought a loop, a, to which the shaft B is hinged or attachedas follows: the shaft iron d has-a half bow, e, wrought upon it whichcatches over the bar of the loop a, whichbar, though wrought solid withand a part of the loop and clip, corresponds to the ordinary bolt usedfor shaft couplings, but without any of the disadvantages of such bolt.Underneath the shaft iron d, and bolted to it by a jam or set-nut, 7c,and boltf, is another piece of metal, 9, which is so formed as to bearagainst the shaft iron at its front end h, and against the bar or boltin the loop 0, at its rear end 2'. At the points intermediate betweenthese bearing points there is a space, at, sufiicient to admit of thetaking up of all wear or shackle between the shaft iron and the-loop orpart to which it is hinged. Thus the shaft can be raised or lowered byits connection, and all rattling, shackle, or noise avoided. The bow eof the shaft iron covers the joint between itself and the under bar, andalso of the piece g, so that dirt and grit cannot work into orbetweenthe moving parts and the bar, which would cause them to cut and wear. Ifthe shaft coupling becomes loose it is ,only necessary to turn theboltf, the screwthread on which takes into the female screw in the piece9, and then run up the jam-nut k, to keep the bolt from turning. As thescrew-boltf enters the piece g at a point intermediate between itsbearing points k z, the force of the bolt may put aslight spring intothe piece g, so that this spring pressure may act to keep it constantlyagainst the bar or bolt in the loop a. If it he too tight, the jam-nutmay be slacked up and the screw-bolt turned the opposite way. In figs. 2and 3, instead of the piece to which or on which the loop a is worked orwrought being formed into a clip or how, it is left straight, so as tobe fastened to any straight 'ece. In fig. 2, the loop 0 projects atright angles to the piece 0, whilst in fig. 3 itis wrought upon itsends. These modifications are obvious where the piece or part to whichthe shaft is to be attached has a flat or plain surface instead of acurved one. In these modifications, instead of a screw-bolt and jam-nut,.I have shown a screw-bolt which is the equivalent of the boltf, fig. 1,and a set-bolt, m, which makes a fulcrum for the screw-bolt f to workagainst. The same spring pressure can be put into the pieces g by thesetwo bolts, as by the plan shown in fig. 1, and the joint madetight orloose by the turning of the screw-bolt, as the case may be. In thesemodifications the same protection is given to the joints to preventdirt, mud, and grit from working into them. And in these cases, as infig. 1, the draw-bar or bolt in the loops is wrought out of the solidmetal with the pieces C.

" :aving thus fully described my invention, what I claim therein as new,and desire to secure by Letters Patent. is-

i" shaft coupling composed of a loop-bar or bolt, wrought in one and thesame piece with the loop and strap, an *1 under and upper piece fittingover or against it, and a tightening bolt controlling said under andupper pieci, to adjust their. frictional contact with the loop ordraw-bar or bolt, substantially as and for the purpose dc; c ibed.

ASA R; REYNOLDS,

Witnesses:

ISRAEL Snonnnnnn, Fnnnnnrcx VAN PATTEN.

